About Us
Make Albany Berkeley Again (MABA) is the home for the campaign to dissolve the charter of the City of Albany, California
The basics
What
Dissolution of Albany’s city charter would open the door to exploring rejoining Berkeley or joining with another neighboring city. Albany was part of Berkeley historically, before a 1908 dispute over use of the landfill area now known as the “Bulb.” In 1909, the town originally incorporated as the City of Ocean View.
Why
Albany is about 5 square miles and administers services which duplicate those of nearby cities of greater scale, diversity, transparent government and policing, and so on. In the coming months, this website will discuss in greater detail the disadvantages of small towns with few employers, including oversight and reliance on property and property transfer taxes, as well as the benefits of joining forces to create a larger municipality.
How
The charter can be dissolved by the vote of Albany residents on an initiative. MABA will begin a drive to collect the signatures of registered Albany voters that are required to put the initiative on a ballot. Petition signatures will be collected in person in accord with the rules of the City of Albany, California. We are currently working to obtain the information we need to get started. Email us at info@makealbanyberkeleyagain.com if you’re interested in becoming an organizer.